Patent Literature 1 discloses a structure in which the semiconductor layer on the front surface side is formed over almost the whole surface of a substrate, and the semiconductor layer on the rear surface side is formed in an area smaller than the area of the substrate, in order to reduce the degradation of properties of a photovoltaic element due to the semiconductor layers on the front and rear surfaces wrapping around the end surface.
Patent Literature 2 discloses that, when in a photovoltaic element, for example, an n-type semiconductor layer is formed on a first main surface of an n-substrate, and a p-type semiconductor layer is formed on a second main surface, an n-substrate-n-layer-p-layer rectifying junction or an n-substrate-p-layer-n-layer reverse junction is formed on the side surface and the peripheral ends of the n-substrate, depending on the formation sequence of the semiconductor layers differing from each other in conductivity type. As stated in Patent Literature 2, the formation performed so as to form the former n-substrate-n-layer-p-layer rectifying junction results in the provision of a rectifying junction over the whole area of the substrate, and avoids the occurrence of adverse effects such as the suppression of the carrier transfer due to reverse junction.